Hood for vehicles.



A. HENNESSY.

l HOOD FOR VEHICLES. APPLIoA'rIoN FILED APR.24, 1912.

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Or E l 4 E 6 E 0 AUSTIN HESSY, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

Hoon roa'vnnroinnsa Speciication of. Letters Patent.

Patented June-f?, 1913.

Application filed April 24, 1912. Serial No.` 692,913.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, AUs'rlN Hennessy, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residi at London, in the county of Middlesexfin the Kingdom of England, have invented certain new and useful Improve ments in Hoods for Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to cape-cart and similar hoods for vehicles, and has for its object to provide a hood which will, when erected, possess great rigidity, and in no way obstruct the entry into or exit from the vehicle, but which can be folded up into a small compass single-handed.

The accompanying drawings show the improved hood applied to a Lfour-seated vehicle in two positions, Figure l being a front ele,- vation of a hood frame-'work erected, with the covering in section; and Fig. 2 the hood folded up without the covering. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the hood frame-work with the hinges made of an articulated frame-v work. v

Referring first to Figs. l and 2, the entire hood is supported byv a hoop stick A, which is hinged at B to the vehicle Abody at the rear of the sideI entrance doors vthrough which the vehicle is entered/and to this hoop stick is hinged at C the straight metallic rods D, (preferably brass,) which,

when the hood is erected, stand approxi,- mately upright. These rods D carry at their upper ends a second' hoop stick E, which is yfree to turn on the pivot or fulcrum F, while the rear main stick A carries and has pivoted to it, a short hoopl stick G. These hoop sticks E and G incline toward each other when the hood is erected at such an angle, that their horizontal or arched parts abut, and these parts are connected by a hinge H, so as to old upward. It will be apparent that these hoops A, E and G 1n conjunction with the bars D, support the rear part of' the hood covering I, and also serve to support the Outrigger hoop J, whlchis hinged to the ends of the hoop E at K, while in order to raise the hood covering I and give plenty of head room, l provide the auxiliary hoop L, the ends of wh1ch are pivoted to the sides of the hoop E at M. These hoops J and L extend some distance in front of the rear part of the hood, so as to cover the drivers seat, and support the front part of the vhood covering I, which 1s connected to the hoop sticks at four places z', While at the extreme rear, the hood covering is fastened to the vehicle body at N. The hoop J is maintained in the extended position, so that wind kpressure exerted upon the hood from the front shall not raise it, by means of straps O secured to some fixed 'part of the vehicle in front of the drivers seat.

When it is required to fold up the hood from the oosition shown in Fie'. l into the position sown in Fig. 2, the fiont part of the hood is first folded by turning the hoop sticks J and L upward on their pivots K and M, so as to lie against the hoop stick E. Then the hoop stick E is operated by hand leverage in the direction of P, so as to turn it on its pivot F, which acts as a fulcrum, and serves to impart a folding movement to the bars D and hoop G, folding them against the main hoop stick A. The turnin of the said hoop stick E on its l pivot F by and leverage, foldsY the joint H upward and turns the bars D back on their hinges C and the hoop G on its yhinges R against the main hoop stick A, and then the folding back of the whole hood is completed by turning the mainhoop stick A hack on its hinge B. When folded, the bars D lie on the inside of the hoop sticks A and E. The collapse of the hood can thus be edected single-handed by first folding the hoop sticks J and L against the hoop stick E, and then by turning the hoo stick E by hand leverage on its fulcrum F, a folding movement is imparted to the bars D, and hoop stick G, thus. folding them Aagainst the main hoop stick A. By the reverse operation the hood can again be extended.

In Figs. 1 and 2 the various members composing t-he framework of the hood are, with the vexception of the member D, made of wood, and hinged together by separate metallic hinges fastened to the Wooden members by screws passed through holes in the leaves of the hinges. Thus there are in addition to the wooden members of the framework about 10 or l2 separate hin e fittings all separate from each other. hen it 1s desired to reduce the number of these separate fittings, I connect the leaves of the hinges together as` shown in Fig. 3 so as to collectively form an articulated framework, the points of articulation corresponding to the points of articulation of the hood shown in Figs. l and 2, orapproximately so. Itis most convenient, however, in this case to dispense with the hoop E and substitute 'therefor a pair of metallic side bars S to each of which is hinged at one end T an eX tension of the leaf of the hinge R, and Iat the other end each side bar has the leaf U hinged to it at K, this leaf U being secured to the Outrigger hoop J. Between the hinges I and K is the hinge M, the leaf V of which is secured to the intermediate hoop L, and the hinge F which couples the bar S to the side bar D. rI`he other leaf of the hinge 'It is also extended so as to join -t-he leaf of the hinge C. By this varrangement all the metallic lringes of the hood are joined together to forma pair of complete articulated frames, so that the number of separate me- .which take the place of the hoop E, do not incline toward the hoop G when the hood is erected, as they do in Figal and 2, but are.

at an obtuse angle. This in no way affects the action of the hood in collapsing.

I declare that what I claim is 1. In a hood for motor vehicles, the combination of a rear hoop-stick, a pair of Vertical rods pivoted thereto, members substantially horizontal pivoted to the upper ends of said vertical rods, members hinged to said horizontal members and pivoted to the rear. hoop-stick at points intermediate of its length, and a hoop-stick pivoted at its ends to the ends of said horizontal members.

2. In a hood for motor vehicles the combip nation of a rear hoop-stick, a pair of vertical rods pivoted thereto, members substantially horizontal pivoted to the upper ends of the rods at points intermediate along their length, a secondhoop-stick connected to the rear ends of said horizontal members and pivoted to intermediate points along the rear hoop-stick, and afront hoop-stick having its ends pivoted to the front endsof the horizontal members.

3. In a hood for motor vehicles the combination of a rear hoop-stick, a pair of vertical rods pivoted thereto, a pair of members substantially horizont-al pivoted at intermediate points to the upper ends of said vertical rods, a hoop-stick pivoted at its ends to the rear hoop-stick and pivote-d also at intermediate points tothe horizontal. rods, a front hoop-stick pivoted at its ends to the ends of the horizontal rods, and an auxiliary hoop stick pivoted at its ends to points intermediate along the horizontal rods.

yIn witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name this 23rd day of March 1912, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. v

AUSTIN HENNESSY.

Witnesses:

H. D. JAMESON, C. P. LmnoN.- 

